A Baby is Born

No wonder in the English idiom, one can say something like "that's my baby" which means it is something very precious and it has taken much effort before it is birthed. It's a bit like my current book. Only today after driving to Keningau and back to Tambunan I managed to finalise a few things with my printers. With text messages and video or audio calls free of charge things are so much easier compared to just 10 or 15 years ago. So in the past 14 days, two weeks to be exact I had laboured to give birth to this baby of mine, a pet project, my long overdue book which I named as "Anak Panah" in English means ""Chosen Arrow" from Isaiah 49:2.

It is the Malay version of Departure Points which I published 5 years ago. With my target audience mostly Malay readers or readers of the Malay language among the tribal peoples of Sabah, my "Departure Points after 5 years probably just sold 150 copies with overseas buyers close to 100. Out of the 150 sold locally only 100 are Malay speakers so the vast majority of my audience have not read my "memoirs" which my English version is not but my Malay version is because the first two chapters tell of my childhood from Primary school to Secondary school with another chapter on my University years which coincided with my Christian birth and formative years in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Three weeks ago I had almost dropped the plan of punishing it by my 30th anniversary in full-time ministry on the 1st Dec, but from a fortnight ago, the book took a turn for the better, and it seems to flow and there is an evident plot or structure in it that I can say I am just as happy with it as my "Departure Points" which received many good comments and commendation. 

Now it is truly out of my hands and I just prayed to the Lord for my printers to do a good job and get the books to me by mid-Nov, if not earlier as my November schedule is already packed to the brim except one weekend and December is truly Christmas season though I had only committed to two speaking engagements. With about 10 speaking engagements until the end of the year starting next Sunday 20th October, I pray that my books shall be with me so that in this busy season of ministry, I can launch my books into the deep and draw my readers into the net of Christ's kingdom.